Daylight photographic numbering machine



Jan. 9, 1945. o. A. RAMEY 2,366,304

DAYLIGHT PHOTOGRAPHIC NUMBERING MACHINE Filed Sept. 18, 1942 3Sheets-Sheet l awuc nkorl aaifiamey Q 1 N Kim Jan. 9, 1945. v o. A.RAMEY 2,366,304

I DAYLIGHT PHOTOGRAPHIC NUMBERING MACHINE Filed Sept. 18, 1942 5Sheets-Sheet 2 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 O. A. RAMEY DAYLIGHT PHOTOGRAPHICNUMBERING MACHINE Filed Sept. 18, 1942 Jan. 9, 1945.

Patented Jan. 9, 1 945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DAYLIGHT PHOTOGRAPHICNUMBERING MACHINE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine whereby photographic negatives maybe numbered in day light and without resort to the usual dark room.

It is especially aimed to provide a machine or mechanism which willexpeditiously number a large quantity of the negatives and which isespecially adapted for professional use and for instance in the army andnavy signal corps even on the field of operation.

I also aim to provide a structure which is .portable, compact,inexpensive and one which may be operated by powerhouse current or froma dry cell or other batteries, as preferred.

The more specific objects and advantages will become apparent from aconsideration of the description following taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawings- Figure 1 is a plan View of the apparatus with thetray, holder partly extended in disclosed detail;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the parts of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end elevation looking from the left in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a, longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 ofFigure 1;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of'Figure 1 andFigure 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the film or plate holder.

Referring specifically to the drawings wherein like reference charactersdesignate like or similar parts, I provide a suitable supporting base atl!) upon which a main box H is suitably mounted as on blocks l2, withone or more metallic brackets I3 interposed.

Fastened to the bracket 13 one side of the main box H and restingdirectly on the base I is a suitable lamp housing l4.

Said housing I 4 has a suitable electric lamp l mounted therein. adaptedfor energization a conventional plugging in or connection of a cord 16with a source of powerhouse electricity or with dry batteries; storagebatteries or the like, as preferred. Behind the lamp I 5 is a reflectorl1. Light from the lamp [5 is projected through a tube or lens H! on thehousing I 4 and through an alined condensing lens structure l9 carriedby tube mechanism 20 of conventional form used in cameras and mounted inthe main box II.

The light from lamp I 5 also projects through a flexible indicia film at21 which passes across the line of projection and between film guides at22 and 23, suitably apertured for passage of the light therethrough.Guide 22 is preferably stationary and attached to the outside of themain box ll while guide 23 is mounted by a spring 24 fastened to it andto the box IE, and tension for movement toward the guide 22 in order topress the film flat against and between both guides, at proper tension.Film 21 is transparent and it has numbers preferably consecutively,photographed or delineated thereon and the numbers as viewed by thelight from the lamp l5 read backwards and upside down so that they willread correctly on negatives. In the case of salesmen taking amultiplicity of photographs, the numbers on the film 2! correspond tothe numbers on the negatives produced by such salesmen.

Film 2! may be operated in any suitable manner, for instance having itsopposite ends trained over reels 25 and 26, carried by shaft 21,journaled in brackets or bearings 28 uitably fastened to the main box Hand which shafts 21 are equipped with manually operable cranks at 29.The numbers on the film 21 are shown at 30.

The main box H is closed at all walls except the top and inphotographing the numbers on to negatives, uch top is also adapted to beclosed by a slidable tray structure 3 l. Such tray structure 3|, carriesdepending L-shaped runners 32 whose extensions 33 are slidably engagedin opposed grooves 34 in the inner surfaces of the side Walls of mainbox II. The interior of the tray, especially at the side, and the rearend, is lined with felt as at 35.

Slidably and removably disposed in the tray 3| is a film or plate holder36, generally in the form of an open rectangular plane. Such holder 36has a space at 31 which removably mount the negative film or negativeplate and it also has spaces at 38 which removably accommodate aslidable dark slide 39.

When a number at 30 is being photographed from the film 2| onto anegative within the chamber, space or groove 37, the same is projectedwith the aid of lamp l5, onto an inclined mirror 40 within the main boxll. At such time, the tray is in a position completely enclosing andrendering the interior of the main box ll dark. The mirror 40 reflectsthe image or number upwardly through a clear glass or lens at 4| mountedin the bottom wall of the tray 3|. The picture being taken through theoperation of the negative and dark slide or slides in the manner wellknown in photography regardless of whether or not superpanchromaticfilms, or ones which are nonsensitive or slower, are used.

In starting operation, in order to check the numbers 30, or otherwise, aground glass may be held beneath the clear glass or lens 4| temporarily.

Also, t facilitate the withdrawal of the dark slide without destroyingthe film or plate holder 36, the latter is preferably equipped withnotches at 4| which are engageable with strips or ridges 42 disposedacross the bottom of the tray.

Also, in order to enable the operator to better grasp the dark slide,film or plate holder 36, is cut away as at 43.

It will thus be seen that in applying the numbers or any equivalentindicia to the negatives, that the same may be done in the daytime or indaylight, without resort to a dark room and in fact may be done at thescene of photographing, as on the battle field, or when photographingschools or organizations away from the studio.

Various changes may be resorted to provided they fall within the spiritand scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. Apparatus for photographing indicia on to negatives comprising a,box, mean slidable over the box having an opening therethrough toregister with a part of a negative, and means for the projection oflight through the box and said opening onto the negative forphotographing purposes, the second-mentioned means comprising a housinglocated at one corner of the box and mounted thereon with a, spacebetween the same and the box, a tray forming part of said first means 5adapted to close the box t render it dark, said opening being in saidtray and having a glass thereover, and a holder carried by the tray fornegatives in combination with dark slide means and means to mount anindicia film for passage through said space.

2. Apparatus for photographing indicia on to negatives comprising a box,means slidable over the box having an opening therethrough to registerwith a part of a negative, and means for the projection of light throughthe box and said opening onto the negative for protographingpurposes,'the second-mentioned means comprising a housing located at onecorner of the box and mounted thereon with a space between the same andthe box, a tray forming part of said first means adapted to close thebox to render it dark, said opening being in said tray and having aglass thereover, and a holder carried by the tray for negatives incombination with dark slide means,

and means to mount an indicia film for passage through said space, andan interfltting means between the holder and tray to maintain the trayrelatively stationary to facilitate removal of the slide means.

3. Apparatus for photographing indicia on to negatives comprising a box,means slidable over the box having an opening therethrough to registerwith a part of a negative, and means for the projection of light throughthe box and said opening onto the negative for photographing purposes,the second-mentioned means comprising a, housing located at one cornerof the box and mounted thereon with a space between the same and thebox, a tray forming part of said first means adapted to close the box torender it dark, said opening being in said tray and having a, glassthereover, and a holder carried by the tray for negatives in combinationwith dark slide means, an interfitting means between the holder and trayto maintain the tray relatively stationary to facilitate removal of theslide means, the said box having lens-tube means, a mirror in said boxto reflect images from the lens tube means through said glass, means toproject light through the lens-tube means, and means in said space to betraversed by the indicia film located between the illuminating means andthe lens-tube means.

4. Apparatus for photographing indicia on to negatives comprising a box,means slidable over the box having an opening therethrough to registerwith a, part of a negative, and means for the projection of lightthrough the box and said opening onto the negative for photographingpurposes, the second-mentioned means comprising a housing located at onecorner of the box and mounted thereon with a space between the same andthe box, a tray forming part of said first means adapted to close thebox to render it dark, said opening being in said tray and having aglass thereover, and a holder carried by the tray for negatives incombination with dark slide means, an interfitting means between theholder and tray to maintain the tray relatively stationary to facilitateremoval of the slide means, and said box having lens-tube means, amirror in said box to reflect images from the lens tube means throughsaid glass, means to project light through the lens-tube means, andmeans in said space to be traversed by the indicia film located betweenthe illuminating means and the lens-tube means, comprising guides, oneof said guides being movable relatively to each other to grasp the filma box mounting the illuminating means, reels mounted on the firstmentioned box and traversed by the film, and supporting means'for theboxes.

OSCAR A. RAMEY.

